School Superintendent Talks Property Taxes

A summary of state property tax rates was released recently and Washington’s school superintendent is talking about comparisons with other districts. Superintendent Dr. Mike Jorgensen says when looking at the 348 school districts across the state, Washington falls a little higher than average, but when looking at the surrounding districts, Washington falls near the middle. He says the property tax rate is a valuation per $1000 of your property value.

Dr. Jorgensen notes the money received from property taxes is about 60% of the district’s revenue and is used in the district’s General Fund and some of the facility funding throughout the year. He says over time, the property valuations in the district will continue to grow and the need to levy cash to make up for state cuts in the past is becoming less important as the district gets caught up.

District comparisons:

The Washington Community School District enters the FY 2013 with a levy of $15.7394. In terms of Washington County School District and surrounding areas, we fall pretty much in the middle. The Pekin School District appears to be the lowest in the area at $11.5339. The Lone Tree Community School District is $12.8105. Mid-Prairie’s rate is $12.2224. Keota comes in at $13.2535. Iowa City is at $14.0733. Fairfield is at $15.3089. Washington checks in at $15.7394. The Highland Community School District is at $16.6201. Sigourney Community School District’s rate is $17.6799. The Columbus School District is at $17.7269. WACO Community School District is at $21.8279.